


Tender

by Lokilizer



Series: Wayhaven Week 2020 [2]
Category: The Wayhaven Chronicles (Interactive Fiction)
Genre: F/M, Fluff, Massage
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-14
Updated: 2020-07-14
Packaged: 2021-03-04 22:15:29
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,857
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25253689
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lokilizer/pseuds/Lokilizer
Summary: The detective has hidden her physical problems so far, though she needn’t do so.  Nate would be more than willing to help her out.
Relationships: Detective/Nathaniel "Nate" Sewell, Female Detective/Nathaniel "Nate" Sewell
Series: Wayhaven Week 2020 [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1833862
Kudos: 24





	Tender

She never explicitly said anything, never outright complained, or even mentioned anything off hand. At first, he wrote it off as maybe just simple quirks that the detective had. She was subtle, he would give her that; only a grimace here or there that would flit over her face for a split second before being covered by her ever present hint of smile. As he grew closer to her, he picked up on how she would avoid certain movements or adjust how one would normally do something. It was on the especially long days that these behaviors would become more prominent.

It was his day to accompany the detective and they had stayed at her office longer than probably necessary as she finished up her work for the town. She stood from her desk and made to walk to the filing cabinet, the action catching Nate’s attention. Reaching the cabinet, she suddenly lurched forward, sucking in a sharp breath. She straightened up as quickly as it had happened.

“Anya, are you alright?” Nate was by her side in an instant, hand gently resting on her elbow.

“Yeah, sorry, it’s fine, I’m fine,” she sputtered out, quickly filing away the report in her hand. When he kept his hand steady in its place, she looked up to meet his eyes. With furrowed brows and worry filled eyes, he looked over her, not at all convinced by her dismissal.

“Nate, really, I’m alright,” she stated, drawing his eyes back up to her face where she had carefully placed her usual smile. 

_No, not her usual,_ he thought to himself. _It’s like there’s a tension at the corners of her mouth. Strained almost._

He decided it best not to press her. He let his hand drop back down and he shoved it into his pocket. With nod and kind smile, he watched her return to her desk, hastily plopping down in her seat.

He had decided to keep a closer eye out for her after that— picking up a dropped item, grabbing her misplaced tea from across the room. Of course, the rest of Unit Bravo swiftly caught on to this. Felix wasted no time in ribbing Nate about it as Mason snickered somewhere in the shadows. Even Adam would make the occasional dry humor comment. 

He would always respond with a smile saying, “If it makes the detective’s job easier, I’m happy to do it.”

“Yeah, I’m sure that’s not the only thing you’d be happy to do,” Felix would quip, earning lazy chuckle from Mason.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

It wasn’t until Nate was sitting on the detective’s loveseat a few weeks later that he decided to bring it up. She was making them each a cup of tea when she seemed to have another episode, clutching onto the kitchen counter for just a moment before steeling herself. He was at her side in a heartbeat.

“Why don’t you go sit down and I’ll finish up the tea?” Nate offered, giving her a lopsided smile.

She started to wave him off until her jaw clench suddenly. She nodded gently.

“That’d be nice actually,” she shifted away from the counter and made her way to the loveseat.

 _I have to ask her about this,_ Nate set his resolve as he finished up their drinks.

“Thank you so much,” Anya smiled as she accepted the cup he handed her. He sat next to her, his own cup warm in his hands as he chewed at his bottom lip.

“Something on your mind over there?” She tilted her head, catching his attention. He lifted his eyes to hers, getting lost in her stormy blue eyes as she held his gaze.

“Anya, are you alright? Physically, I mean?” he clarified, studying her face as her eyes shifted away from his own.

“I’m assuming you’re talking about earlier in the kitchen?” She asked rhetorically. “It was nothing. Really, Nate, don’t worry about me.”

“But Anya, I am worried about you,” he insisted, inching closer to her. “This isn’t the first time it’s happened, but I didn’t want to press it.”

She sighed and took a small sip of tea before responding. “I just—I don’t want anyone to worry about me and it’s not that big of a deal, so I never say anything.”

When she hesitated, Nate subtly raised an eyebrow as a silent request to continue.

“I just have some back problems,” she said nonchalantly and hesitantly continued, “and neck problems… and shoulder problems. But it’s not that big of a deal, really.”

“Anya,” he breathed, “is there somewhere you could go that would help?”

She laughed lightly, “Well, it’s not like there’s a chiropractor or masseuse in this little ol’ town. When I was younger my mom used to give me massages when it got really bad…. When she was around.”

“I see,” Nate nodded thoughtfully, eyes wandering over the afflicted areas. “Is there anything I could do to help?”

“Well, unless you feel like giving me massage,” She smiled playfully before continuing, “no, not really much of anything.”

“Okay,” he eagerly responded. “Would you like one then? A massage, I mean?”

“I- oh- well, um- I was sort of joking, but uh,” she stuttered out, turning a light shade of pink. “I suppose- that is, if you don’t mind- it couldn’t hurt to-”

“I wouldn’t mind at all, Anya,” he cut her off, saving her from having to continue. “Where would you like me to start? With the neck and shoulders, perhaps?”

With a meek smile, she nodded. Grabbing a pillow, she explained how Rebecca would have her sit between her legs on the floor. Nate adjusted accordingly and she set the pillow on the floor. As Anya settled into the cushion and tied up her hair, he removed the two silver rings he was wearing and set them on the side table.

“You know,” he drawled, his tone lightly coated in mischief. “I have been told that I can be quite good with my hands.”

He breathed out a laugh as he heard her heart flutter and saw that rosy color softly tint her ears and what he could see of her neck.

“I- um, well-” she sputtered at first before giving a nervous laugh. “I guess I’ll be the judge of that,” she finished, trying to mimic the flirtatiousness of his tone.

“Then I’ll make sure to step up my game for you,” He responded, voice just about a whisper, but the smile evident in his tone.

He started by simply running his hands over her shoulders, a gentle touch as he felt her warmth through her loose tee. He then began to add more pressure, little by little, gliding his hands over her shoulders and down her upper back.

“I promise I won’t break,” she commented when he didn’t add any further pressure.

“As you wish,” he acquiesced, adding more strength to his touch. The more he massaged, the more he couldn’t believe the state of her muscles. For all her appearance of ease and gentleness, it would seem that she was nearly made of nothing but coiled tightness. 

_Was that the promised price?_ He thought, _An uncaring tension for her unwavering tenderness._

She tensed suddenly as he worked on a particularly prominent point.

“I’m sorry,” he immediately eased up, “was that too much?”

“No, no,” she shook her head, “my body is probably well past due for this. Please don’t stop.” 

She sighed as he continued his ministrations, working his way up her neck and back down along her spine. Nimble fingers worked at each point of tension in her muscles, gently forcing them out. The further along he got, the more she seemed to relax into his touch. Her breathing, along with her heartbeat, gradually slowed. As he finished working on what he could reach with her position, his touch became softer. Soothing, almost as an apology for the needed pain of earlier. He smiled as he watched her try to fight off the haze of sleep before succumbing to it as her head unknowingly rested on his knee. Still, he continued. If only to allow her some of the rest she rightfully deserved, he continued. Soon his soft warmth turned to featherlight touches before gently resting his hands on her shoulders. Still, she did not stir. He brushed a lock of stray hair from her face, willing his touch not to linger. Letting her rest for a moment more, he admired her. The freckles that graced her face, the soft angle of her nose, the subtle curve of her lips. Her heart shaped face could not have been more perfectly suited for her, he decided. The way that her copper hair would curl only around the base of her neck. He concluded that he had never seen a more beautiful sight. And, of course, he was completely unbiased.

She soon took a deep inhale, rousing from her spot. She languidly blinked away the drowsiness, shifting to sit up straight. 

“Oh, I’m sorry,” she unnecessarily apologized, “I must have fallen asleep.”

“It’s no worry at all, Anya. You seemed to really need a rest,” Nate assured her.

“Wow,” she simply stated as she rolled her shoulders and neck, “I suppose I didn’t realize how bad it had all gotten.”

He hummed in response as she stood from her pillow, casually using his knee to get up. He followed the line of her body as she stretched her tired limbs.

“Thank you so much for this,” She said as she turned to face him. “Really, you have no idea how much I appreciate it.”

“Honestly, Anya, it’s really no trouble at all,” he replied. “In fact, if you would ever like another one, I would be more than happy to oblige.”

She smiled at his offer, a certain warmth sparking in her eyes. 

“I might just take you up on that. My lower back still has some problems of its own,” she admitted. Just as he was about to offer to continue, she cut him off. “But maybe another time. It’s getting late and I seem to now be irredeemably sleepy.”

“Of course,” he resigned, standing from the loveseat and gathering his two rings and teacup. As he made to go wash the cup, she waved him away, saying she would wash it in the morning. It was the least she could do after his kind gift to her, she had said.

“I suppose I will see you in the morning then, detective,” he smiled down at her as he stood in her doorway.

“I look forward to it, agent,” she beamed back up at him as the heat seemingly grew between them.

His drew his face down to hers as he placed a lingering kiss upon her cheek, feeling as her hand danced over his before barely wrapping around it.

“Goodnight, Anya,” he whispered against her cheek. 

“Goodnight, Nate,” she returned, lazily releasing his hand before he turned and faded into her dimly lit hallway, completely disappearing down the stairs.

 _Goodnight, Nate…_ he smiled to himself as he heard her whispered words in the darkness of the night.


End file.
